Does Long Beach suffer from an identity crisis? Are we a City by the Sea or a Suburb by the Sea?

Reading the comments on this blog and facebook tells me one thing: Long Beach suffers from an identity crisis. Everybody has their own opinion as to what they want this Riviera of the East to be. I sense lots of frustration by those who want LB to grow and by those who want it to shrink. So, I ask you this: WHAT THE HELL DO YOU PEOPLE WANT?

Me? Quite frankly, I hate the suburbs. I came to Long Beach because it’s the CITY BY THE SEA. I was attracted by the walkability, being able to ride a bike everywhere, plus obviously the beach and boardwalk. I really don’t like this suburban dream some of you talking about. As what somebody commented on this blog in the past: the Idea of eating at Applebee’s and doing my shopping at the Mall does not appeal to me. With that, my idea of Long Beach is much different than what others want. In fact, if I had my way around here, I would:

Knock down Waldbaums. I hate that stupid shopping center. I can’t even walk past it on the sidewalk because everybody impatiently wants to kill me as they rush to pull in so they can buy their hormone injected chicken and eggs.

Performing Arts Center

Redevelop Burger King property as a ‘restaurant square’ with a L shaped building, fountain in the middle, outdoor seating, etc.

I would add more residential density to our downtown – especially near the LIRR. These people will walk to the train, walk to the beach, walk to food and coffee. If they want to check out the West End, they can take the Trolley. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, YOUNG ADULTS LIKE THIS LIFESTYLE. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

Encourage bike riding, walking, etc.. They do it in Canada where it’s colder. People in NYC have no problem being outside and getting exercise (which we all need.) We can do this here!!! (Allison Box, do you hear me?)

I would figure out a way to develop the bay area with some type of learning/education center involved with a local College. Or some type of children/nature museum which will highlight our amazing marshes, bay houses, fishing history, etc (Joey’s Long Beach Marine Lab?)

Bring back a marina which offers not only boat slips and fishing party boats, but kayaking. (Holy Crap, you mean some type of fun activity? WOAHH Hold your horses!)

Convince our Chamber of Commerce to attract some type of non-retail business (we need other jobs here besides retail, especially since the hospital is never coming back the way it was).

Reduce Park Avenue down to two lanes each way. WHHHAAT? Make sidewalks wider and create proper bike lanes. I can list dozens of roads that are busier than Park Avenue that are only two lanes. Traffic? Well… read on:

With that, I would make sure our traffic lights are properly timed to reduce frustration. (Drive 30mph and you will make most of the lights).

Speed humps at every single stop sign, which will encourage drivers to stay on the main roads of Park Avenue and Broadway.

Bring Bed and Breakfasts to Long Beach: They are not going to bring traffic, but empty nesters who will spend money at our restaurants and boutiques.

Create Business Improvement Districts (BID) for both Park Avenue and Beech Street. Come up with ‘theme’ design for both downtowns and run with it. Some of these new buildings going up look like absolutely shit (Dunkin’ Donuts in the West End, I’m Looking at you). If you people really want Long Beach to be like the Hamptons, then copy the stupid Hamptons. Have you ever even been to a Hamptons downtown? We aren’t even close to it as far as looks are concerned.

Sanctions for garbage pickup. Why is it that when I visit major cities like Boston, I see no garbage? Our streets here are filthy.

I would also convert all street lights on the side roads to pedestrian lights. This way, when I walk on the sidewalk at night, I feel safe from being mugged and stepping on dog poop. Cars already have headlights. They can see where they are going just fine.

Have public hanging at Kennedy Plaza for anybody who doesn’t pick up dog poop or litters.

Now who can loan me a billion dollars?

Yes, I am sure some of these ideas are outlandish, but I’m having a bad day and need to vent. I’m not looking to turn Long Beach into a major metropolis, but I do think we can grow in a way that is smart and effective. There I said it. I kinda don’t care what you all write in the comments. I don’t plan on defending myself.

Years ago Long Beach was quite the place a lot of places on the boardwalk,etc……Games, food & of course Sandy took its toll on America’s
healthiest city Long Beach, N. Y. with the beautiful ocean & exceptional sand who knows if it will ever be the same again……….

The more open space is great but you suggest no buildings or mutifamily homes. You are left with single family homes and sprawl. That is not a city, that is a suburb and that is not going to work here.Maybe consider out east?

Could not agree more! Love all those ideas! It all comes down to planning and open discussions with residents. Focus on making LB better for residents and visitors will come! Our city focuses on visitors right now and does everything half-fast and with no real plan just to say they are doing something. I’m not OK with that. I don’t need smoke and mirrors something just to pacify the few of us who stand-up and demand action. I want real planning that is thought out.

that’s the thing. We have all these buildings and multifamily houses already. Nothing is going to knock them down, unless some major developer comes in and buys us all out, levels long beach, raises the ground and rebuilds it as Garden City.

Excellent thoughts! Keep ’em coming! This place has such a strange identity crisis. So much potential so little effort and organization to implement things that could make LB a true jewel. There is such a great undercurrent vibe here. You can feel it immediately as you come over any of the bridges and enter our cool enclave… Build on it!

I will agree with about 95% of your suggestions Anthony. I would keep the Waldbaum’s, people still need a place to buy groceries and for some that is there only option and couldn’t afford a boutique grocery store. Not sure of the B&B aspect it would have to be done very carefully and well controlled. I hate to be “NIMBY”, but I would oppose one on my block. Finally maybe just branding with a scarlet letter for the dog poop and littering offenses. Love the idea of developing bayside; Marina and some concessions would even bring in some cash for city most likely.

i don’t think anthony is suggesting knocking down walbaums for the sake of knocking it down. interesting, the city owns the lot and just leases it to the building owner. sadly, the lease is a looooong-term sweat-heart deal for the current building owner.

i’d love to see the current buildings razed and have a mixed-use development erected in its place. it could certainly include a grocery store, but i’d let the market decide what goes where. for me though, i’d love to see apartments above the stores. more eyes and activity on the streets.

behind the new development (and here’s where i get pie-in-the-sky) would be a structured parking facility. use that for visitors and have them tie into a mass transit and trolley system that actually works and makes sense. then, i believe, we’re on to something.

Why President? Why not Mayor? How about a referendum to do away with City Council? Let’s vote for the heads of various departments. Resumes get posted and experience gets publicly defended in debate. What, you’re not an engineer? Next resume please. What’s this, you lied on your resume?, Next. You previously sued the city? Have a nice day.

Anthony, I shared your disdain of the Waldbaum’s lot back when you asked about tall buildings
Cave Dweller – Tuesday, September 9th, 2014 at 10:24 pm
Here’s an idea for tall building lovers – Build a gigantic (I’m talking at least 30 stories) building at Waldbaums with at least 2, maybe 3 floors of commercial space on the ground floor and least 2 commercial on the top that would have ridiculous ocean and bay views and an ability to see the whole of the barrier island. Expand the municipal[al parking garage several stories, clean up that hell hole of a train station an have an overpass from the garage to the resident floors and the commercial floors. ALONG WITH THAT make the center dividers down Edwards and Riverside beautiful pedestrian and bike paths to the Boardwalk. AND (this is a big AND) deny all future development along the boardwalk and ensure the use of the little remaining open space for park/cultural/green etc space.
Cave Dweller – Wednesday, September 10th, 2014 at 12:53 pm
@ B, I disagree. Next tot the LIRR is a great place. Little to no train noise. Separate elevator up to the catering hall on the roof. Parties arriving by train for weddings and concerts/cultural events. Stay a walking distance to the Allegria. Make Edwards, Riverside and even National sort of an esplanade or extension of the boardwalk (and lined with the trees). They’ll be ample parking the new multi-story parking garage. Have an Bike-share kiosk at the building and apartment dwellers wouldn’t even need to own a car to live in Long Beach. And Jessie, great idea to utilize the grounds at City Hall.

Ok, so maybe not 30 stories but I love the idea of only 2 lanes in either direction on Park. Maybe overhead pedestrian bridges at the LIRR so no one crosses the street on foot snarling traffic. The center divider could have less short term parking (or none opposite the station) and function as seating area above (the level of the pedestrian cat walk) and covered seating below (maybe even with live music,art, etc protected from the elements)

I like all of your ideas Anthony. I think they could really enhance the community kharma of Long Beach. I guess I fall into your anti-growth category. Not because I want to live in the generic suburban community you described. I just feel our island is too crowded as is. Whats the point of cramming as many people into every inch of residential space available? I see no benefit, especially considering the way our city officials spend our property tax revenue.

In my opinion if you have a something good, its better not to share it with too many people.

Every few years they take the plan out of the draw, dust it off, and pay some company a lot of money to update it…at which point it gets put right back in the draw until the next update. If we are going to spend a sizable amount of money to update the plan, it should be with the end goal of actually implementing the plan, or at least portions of it. Granted what portions can be implemented will be tied to available funds, but updating it just for the sake of the appearance of doing something is not a good use of taxpayer funds. Hopefully we will break the mold this time and actually make use of the updated report.

I think one of the problems we have is that people think of Long Beach just as that, a beach. We need to change the perception and have people realize we are “more than just a beach”. They need to realize we also have….

Interesting thoughts. What has to be kept in mind is that only an influx of private money will make anything happen. Long Beach has got to be attractive to investors and residents.

Long Island’s Democratic slums are awash with downtowns paved with brick sidewalks and planters built with Community Development funds. “Workforce,” “middle income” and “working class” publicly funded housing quickly becomes welfare housing.

For those who don’t remember, the 1980 revitalization came to Long Beach through private development spurred by the City’s first bi-partisan Democrat/Republican Council.

Cut taxes, review zoning and relax the hoops through business must jump to open in Long Beach. Boot the Sustainable Long Island gang of welfare importers out. Throw the anti-business forces out of the Washington and you’ll start seeing change.

Otherwise, with the shaky unpredictable class-envy forces at work here, only a fool would invest a dime.

it was a means of ‘depoliticizing’ the position. way back when, the LB mayor was shot by a police officer over politics. the current rationale, outside of the ‘depoliticizing’ aspect, is that it means you can have a qualified person fill the position instead of just the most popular.

How do we get it on the ballot? This current system has not worked. We should hold elections for major positions as well. We could have an elected Land Use Board, and elected Planning and Zoning Commission, an elected 3 member police Commission or even a Sheriff. We have to stop this nonsense of appointees beholden to the party. Why should we have to be scared that plots will be subdivided or that our homes will mold-over in the shadows of monstrous buildings? The taxpayers should know where our officials stand. These are our homes, this is our livelihood, these are our wages, this is our city. We owe to each other to put it to a referendum. Let’s change the city charter. It’s high time that the people who live here are NOT the outsiders in the decision making process. Now, I’m mad and so should everyone else be. Anthony, put it to a poll. The will of the people..

We can do this people. If it’s signatures we need. We can get them. All in favor of an ELECTED Zoning and Planning Commission say AYE. An ELECTED Mayor, say AYE. All in favor of ELECTING individuals to Commissions who are responsible to the voter and not special interest (aka old party hacks), say AYE. I thought so. Let’s do it.

Eddie, that is a completely defeatist, throw-in-the-towel attitude. Not everyone will have the stomach for attempting real change. Would you start with answering a poll? Would you sign a petition for a referendum? Would you vote for it? Think about what you just said – twenty four 100K jobs or2.4 million. Well that’s about 6 detectives and 2 seasonal beach maintenance chiefs, no?

John, I think it’s more of the fact that nothing has changed. People are calling for change. It has to be comprehensive, Civic associations have to get behind it. Not just a mayor, but elected zoning and planning commissions, a police board, etc. Did you feel the will of the people were represented on the Superblock? Did you think that perhaps the Hospital property should have been re-zoned for only medical services so the 180 million from FEMA doesn’t walk to Oceanside. Do the residents of Channel Park feel as though they get the policing they need to live in peace? Is a guessing game what comes next from City Hall, or is there transparency? Do permits comes with donations to the PBA? And many, many more questions

But if you look at election results, there is a disconnect between people calling for change and how they vote. Polls show peoples disdain for congress, yet most of the congressional politicians get reelected. If people want change, whether at the local, state or national level, it is not reflected in their voting….as well as when they don’t vote, which is the case with the majority of eligible voters. So who are really the problem, the politicians or the electorate that have the power to change things but don’t?

JB — All fair points. I have held on this blog and elsewhere that change is possible here, it does not take that many votes to change an election. The last group who ran against the incumbents, unfortunately from my perspective, showed not much to merit their selection, which meant except mostly for true-believers they would not get the vote. There are enough decent folks on this blog and around town that would they just join forces could make things happen. You being one them. 🙂

John B. The local level can be different. We don’t have Super PAC (Political Action committees) funneling money from Chinese businessmen. Elections are run on a relative shoestring. Debates are held at the VFW. In congress, Unless you’re a multimillionaire or from some God-forsaken place and have tremendous grass roots support, then you don’t stand a chance. That’s why we see the same-old, same-old in congress. We’re not presented with a choice. Look at our President, isn’t that diametrically opposed to your theory? America elected an African American with essentially no job, no resume, no work experience to speak of .He turned to be more of the same, but that wasn’t the fault of the voter. As a civic association president, among other things, you’re a prominent member of Long Beach. As such, do you feel that your constituents could have an educated opinion,enough to vet and then vote on who would best represent their needs on a Planning or Zoning Committee? Do you think they are responsible enough to vote for members of police commission? Are they smart enough to elect a transportation director that will answer directly to the voters or be ousted from office with a vote of no confidence? I don’t expect you to publicly answer these questions unless you want to, They are food for thought.

so you’re advocating that we get rid of jack, Jim l., gordie, Kemins, and all the other democratic wiz kids? Kudos to the,pm for the job they did after sandy. They were great. But I’m fine with trying out a new crew for the hell of it. Maybe the republicans will actually get real people this time and not just bring back their old hacks.

Idk if the crisis LB has is one of identity – I think the crisis is that LB doesn’t have a lot of space and the space it has is under utilized.

IMO, something that I always thought was missing was places to get a drink that didn’t feel like a frat house, and I think that’s changed and for the better.

I think when people call for a performance space, I think what they’re really saying is “give me somewhere to go and do something besides put food and booze in my face while I watch a muted sporting event.”

That awesome market that opened in the West End right before Sandy had those plans that never got to materialize.

LB lacks a space industrious people just use for whatever they want: art show, food festival, comedy night, film series, etc. Granted, if they did, they’d be met with the same NIMBY-ism and claims that said it will put every place here out of business like Smorgasboard would…

#TILB

That’s what draws creative energy and people – and people go wherever it is, and with the distance between NYC and LB being easy to traverse via the nefarious LIRR-LB station, it might just work.

You don’t need the free market for that to happen.

The rec center, the library, the auditorium at the school, the fucking beach and boardwalk at night, there’s no shortage of places this could happen, but these spaces just sit there and then there’s a movement for another library in the west end so they don’t have to move their car.

The movies on the beach idea this summer were awesome – I wouldn’t say it was culturally enriching, but it was fun and different and inexpensive.

Long Beach doesn’t have the demographics to elect anyone else – or if they do, it would be to elect people further to the left of what we have now. Look at the proposals in this post – who is anyone to suggest we knock down Waldbaums, its a privately owned business, Every suggestion in this post is for total government control of every aspect of life in Long Beach. You know, like Cuba. Maybe we could give away Russian shoes to everyone at Kennedy Plaza every week, paid for by the taxpayer of course or maybe a new bond issue, with a new $100K “shoe czar” overseeing the project. As I have said before – Long Beach’s most promising future lies with a municipal bankruptcy.

Yes, Tom, much of Anthony’s plan would be self sustaining. But the publicly funded improvements recommended would cost hundreds of millions.

And while “entertainment is retail” the shrinking disposable income that Americans have for recreation and entertainment is taking a huge toll on those industries. Notice the longevity of restaurants and yogurt places?

The shift away from retail and industry is gutting the urbanized suburb. The picture is changing and where it all settles is difficult to predict.

Those villages without healthy retail under Democrat control have become slums, because the Democrats flood them with their voter base – welfare and Section 8.

@Eddie – I’m not a stumper for LB must have a hospital, but I could see how it could inject some upper-middle class residents into the mix. Anyone who takes 20 minutes to read Sustainable LIs plan will see that they believe filling LI with government subsuidized housing recipients and senior citizens will lead to a renaissance.

Idk if the democrats alone are to blame for the fate of LB retail – online shopping, a small and aging population, Target/Walmart, etc. certainly play a role. Not to mention parking which makes coming down here to shop unappealing.

As far as frozen yogurt is concerned, idk, there was a time where there were 5 frozen yogurt spots in a 2 mile radius – and once a yogurt shop closed and was replaced by a yogurt shop. Weird things a foot in LB retail but TILB.

Jakes Wayback wasn’t great but it kind of implies until you sell booze, the West End may not be for you.

High taxes play a role, but they are only high if you can’t make a lot of money here, which I think might be the case for most new businesses. Add to that fear of another hurricane, it could be a tough sell for new entrepreneurs.

I tend to think (best case scenario) the future of LB retail are high end brands with high markups that can stomach the off season; since they have multiple income streams.

In my own opinion, it will be very difficult to change anything here UNTIL the entrenched fiefdoms at City Hall are broken. These are the city departments that are comprised of local “lifers” and their families/friends who are protected through political affiliation and connections.

LB is a well-known patronage mill.

Their best interests are not necessarily in line with the best interests of the city and its residents, and I would imagine they would fight tooth and nail to protect their admirable positions and to keep the status quo.

Would the grass really be greener on the other side? While some people like to rail against the local Democratic Party for its patronage and graft, the exact same thing is being done by Republicans in other parts of Long island. The Town of Brookhaven,was long known as a bastion of Republican corruption and patronage. We’ve seen both parties in power here in Long Beach in the last ten years. Was there really much difference between the two? If you look at it objectively, has one party governed with more integrity than the other?

When positive change has occurred, it often driven by individuals and groups. The shop owner that opens something new and interesting that may be somewhat out of character with the current neighborhood. A group of people trying to beautify their neighborhood. People trying to assist those still trying to rebuild or raise their homes. Others that are trying to save a hospital. They are doing all these things despite it often being an uphill battle and they are doing so without political motive.

So focusing on how to move forward, is there a happy medium here in Long Beach between a quiet beachfront town and a hip Brooklyn neighborhood that we can all live with? And if so what is it? Anthony has proposed some ideas. What are some others and how do we as a community begin to make them happen?

There are some great ideas here. I’d like to add my two cents. I think a Mayor would serve the city better than a City Manager who is appointed by the City Council. I’m not sure voting for things like the Zoning Board or Department head would produce the best candidates, it becomes a bit of a popularity contest. I do think that before those positions are filled the CVs of the top 3 contenders should be published for everyone to see and comment upon. That should help curtail the friends and family hiring and get us qualified people.

Long Beach has changed a great deal in the 25 years I’ve lived here, some for the better, some not so much. I absolutely detest that it is looking more and more like Queens with all the 2 and 3 family homes that all look the same and have all the charm of a Kmart store and now the raised houses are affecting the look and feel of neighborhoods.

One of the most notable things about LB is the different vibes in the East and West ends. Perhaps it is a result of the very close proximity of the homes, but there is more of a feeling of community and neighborhood unity than in the East end.

I wish we could force our planners to go and talk to people and administrations in some of the towns on LI that have been so successful in turning dying places around into vibrant, healthy, interesting places to live and visit. Places like Sayville, Patchogue, Riverhead, Huntington, Northport, none of which are along the beaten path, all of which have thriving communities we could learn from.

Amen. Folks in town find it very difficult to go to City Hall or City Council meeting and complain about the OT, the number of employees, the lack of bang for the buck. They will complain here and at their kid’s baseball game and at a local watering hole, but they will not become public in an effort to do something about it because after all these are our friends and neighbors working for the City or the school district, so it’s very uncomfortable to speak out publicly. I full appreciate that, but I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that – wait a second – my friends and neighbors are perfectly willing to screw me and their other friends and neighbors by voluntarily — more than voluntarily — participating in a system to “work it” for OT to fatten this year’s paycheck and their “high 3”. This is not about jealousy which some kooks on here and other places will default to to respond to criticism; it’s about working the system to game OT and compensatory time, to somehow hardly ever use vacation time, to use the last hour of the day as “lunch” and then work and charge for OT, about doing nothing on the shift and than needing to work OT to actually get the work done, about managers and their seniors being actively complicit or looking the other way. So, those who want to only blame the managers, I call BS. If someone says it’s Ok to steal, doesn’t mean it is.

The Council should audit every department and especially those with excessive OT — -DPW, PD, even the FD which had plenty of OT. An independent should be brought in and if one is not, it’s pretty obvious what’s going on.

If you think only democratic candidates can win elections in Long Beach maybe you should run for Leader of the LB democratic club. I would bet that if you could get 100 people to join and show up during their elections you could vote yourself in and throw those hack out.

The problem with high end retail is.you need high end pay checks and we don’t have a lot of that. It would be nice if we did. And maybe that’s what the real estate agents need to get working on. Actually with what it’s costing to lift or build new FEMA compliant houses we may end up with only richer folks who can afford to live here anyhow.

Beach Nut, you’re not referring to the Jay Jacobs planned overthrow of Zapson are you? The New Dems are actively recruiting (sshh dont tell anyone) for new committee people to throw the Old Dems out! What will Jack do once Zapson and Kohut aren’t pulling his strings? Inquiring minds want to know.

I can’t speak for many of the other communities I mentioned, but I grew up in Northport and Huntington and owned two homes in Northport. I can tell you that Northport voters formed a true third party, with no ties to any of the established parties. And that party has brought about most of the changes that improved Northport, making real estate on Main Street second only to Jobs Lane, Southhampton in value.

Governance is by a Mayor, and his department heads are all trustees along with 3 trustees from the general population. Village meetings are open to all and residents can pose their questions to the specific department head, ie Public Works, and most often get a reasonable answer or a promise of follow up.

It isn’t perfect, but it has worked for over 40 years, changing it from a sad, derelict, decaying downtown to what it is today.

Sustainable LI has worked with the Town of Huntington for years. But of course, you think they bring in elements you find distasteful. Ha! Huntington has fought blight and crime before and since the 1960s.

Both these places set their national political affiliations aside and are run by people who have the welfare of the community as the unifying force.

I won’t say there is no political patronage, but it is far less obvious or costly than what goes on here, no matter which party is in.

Oh I see Jacobs is the Nassau Democratic Chair. I was actually suggesting that anyone who is fed up with politics in long beach join the LB Democratic club. Whatever they are, republican, independent, conservative, democrat doesnt matter you can still join and vote out Zapson and his cronies. Vote in a new leadership get rid of the City Employed committeemen, Use the treasury and platform to run qualified candidates.

Well all parties (Republican, Democrat, etc) are actively recruiting right now for new members. So I’d encourage anyone who is interested in implementing change here in LB, reach out to the party you agree more with and GET ACTIVE !!! It’s the only way things are going to change here. We have a city council election next year and unless you like the outrageous pay, crazy bonding and lack of transparency, we need a change.

Listen, the Fuhrer is circling his wagons and doing his own recruiting with an “iron fist”, be careful “new Democrats” (as you are being called), he has said he owns this town and is not going out without a fight.

Why does every single conversation on this blog turn into Republican vs. Democrat drivel? Are there really that many sheep who blindly pick a political “team” and stick with it do or die? Maybe it’s naive to believe people aren’t complete morons and can analyze each individual challenge or issue independently and not believe/vocalize what their selected political party blindly tells them to, but goddamnit it’s f’n painful to listen to.

@BltByKrmn, I love your comment and completely agree. Everybody keeps telling me how the weeds from the patch have stretched over. More and more people have been complaining about the comments on this blog, so I plan on changing the whole entire system pretty soon. Probably for 2015.

My Friend, you must be clueless as to how the U.S. political system works or else you would understand why it always goes to R vs D. Third parties are a joke in this country and if you want to get anything done you need to pick a side and get to work on your agenda. And you must be pretty myopic to think that each parties members blindly follow all the positions of the group. But if you’re one of these third party types you better get off the phone and couch and start gathering your committee, signatures and candidates cause before you know it Nov 2015 will be here.

Actually I’m fairly certain I’ve got a better handle on it than most since I’ve lived in both DC and Albany and have plenty of friends who make a living off the circus. But thanks for your attempt at condescension, it was definitely cute.

Now that we have that out of the way, there is NO reason this tiny little town needs political party rhetoric to decide what it’s f’n identity is or what material a skate park should be made out of. This isn’t a place where lobbyist groups with billions of dollars are influencing high powered senators, it’s a town smaller than most college’s undergrad enrollment with political players less significant than a high school GO officer.

Third parties have worked on the local level. In RVC for example. They have no ties to the traditional parties so theoretically, at least, aren’t beholden to county leaders and thus can work for the benefit of the local community without outside interference.

IDK. It sounds like you kinda want tho make it more suburban.
Q: “Why is it that when I visit major cities like Boston, I see no garbage?”
A: Because NYers don’t live there.
It’s people that make a place what it is. Stay in LB long enough and you will see why it is a disjointed paradise. If you aren’t involved with a special interest group you aren’t involved at all. Try getting your child a decent education in LB without the support of a special interest group. Try getting a pothole fixed without support of a special interest group. Try getting a decent rent, a police patrol (it’s not the police it’s politics, don’t get me wrong), a clean street, a a a ANYTHING! Sounds like a city to me.

And still we wait and vent on line . New Skatepark, more Apartment houses, more residents, more recreation . No Emergency room none coming for 2 years, no Hospital, fewer Fire Fighters , no Movie theater . We used to consider ourselves a bedroom community to Manhattan now we are less than that to Nassau County. If the only goal is to reduce taxes , raise the issue I fought so hard against in the 70’s . Join our Police force with Nassau County making us another precinct. Let SNCH ,overcrowded as it is , be the provider of our Hospital care , our Ambulance service and whatever other Services we can pawn off and still call ourselves a City. Sad, sad , sad